Jun. 24, 2022 / Updated by Helia to Windows 10
Windows 10 volume control not working issue, sound control bar not working problem, often occurs after the key Windows 10 updates, like Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, Creators Update, Anniversary Update, etc. The volume icon may be not responsive when users click the sound icon after some cumulative updates, like the updates in December 2017.
If you also come across the volume control not working problem after the latest Windows updates, here are some viable solutions for you to troubleshoot it.
The sound icon not working problem can be trigger by a couple of culprits:
1. Incorrectly running Windows 10 programs
If there too many programs or if Windows 10 is not configured properly, you may get the missing volume control bar above the taskbar.
2. Faulty audio driver
A sound card driver enables the smooth communication between the operating system and the sound card. If there is an outdated, missing, broken or incompatible audio driver installed on your computer, you may encounter audio-related issues, such as volume icon missing error, volume control not open, no sound problem, skipping sound issue, etc.
3. Disabled Windows services
If the sound-related services or startups are disabled, the volume control bar or other sound features may not be available on your Windows 10 Fall Creators laptop or desktop.
4. Others
If you can not adjust the volume via the sound icon on the taskbar or if you fail to open the context menu with a right-click on the icon, you can try the methods below to get your sound control bar back on track.
Since you can't right-click the sound icon and open the context menu, you need to open Settings or Control Panel to run the troubleshooter.
1. Use Windows shortcut keysWin + I to open Settings.
2. Go to the Update & security menu and then select Troubleshoot tab on the left side.
3. On the right pane, highlight the Playing Audio and click the Run the troubleshooter button.
4. Wait for the detecting. After that, follow the on-screen instructions to fix the audio problem.
If this method doesn't restore the sound control bar, don't be worried. Try another three solutions below.
You can use a command line to fix the volume control not working issue.
1. Use shortcut keys Win + X.
2. Select Windows PowerShell (Admin). (If you don't have it on the menu, you can type PowerShell into the search bar, and then right-click it to select Run as administrator.)
3. Paste the following command to PowerShell box and hit the Enter key:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
Then wait for about 2 to 10 minute until auto repair process completes. Restart the computer and click the sound icon to see if you can adjust the volume via the slider.
Also, you can try restarting the Windows Explorer in Task Manager to make the sound control bar available.
1. Use shortcut keys Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Navigate to Windows Explorer under the Processes.
3. Right-click it and select Restart.
As we've mentioned above, faulty sound card driver can also result in the volume control not available problem. So you need to download proper audio driver update from the manufacturer's site, and then manually install the driver for the computer.
If you don't like such time-consuming driver download and install, you can also use professional audio driver update utilities, like Driver Talent, to fix the sound control bar not working issue after the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
Available audio driver updates:
Here are 3 steps to quickly update the sound card driver:
1. Click the Scan button to start a detecting of outdated or corrupted audio driver.
2. Click the Activate Now button to Pro for full features and then start to update and install the well-matched drivers.
3. Restart the computer to make the driver changes take effect.
Note: We recommend you create a system restore point and backup the drivers on your Windows 10 in case the computer runs into other problems.
One of the key solutions to solve missing volume control bar issue is to check and enable the sound-related services. You can go to Windows Services to make it.
1. Use shortcut keys Win + R to launch Run.
2. Type into services.msc and press the Enter key to open Services.
3. Scroll down and double-click the service Windows Audio.
4. Click the Start if the button is available. Then select the Automatic from the drop-down menu of the Startup type.
5. Click the Apply button and the OK button.
Do the same to other related services, like Windows Audio Endpoint Builder. After that, restart the computer and click the sound icon in the taskbar to see if the Windows 10 volume control not working issue has been solved or not.
That's it. All of the above are the workarounds to fix the volume control not working problem after the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
If you are still bothered with the audio problem or if you come across other issues after the latest Windows update, you can comment below or click the SUPPORT menu on the left of this page for more help. Thank you for checking Windows 10 section on this site and hope you continue to provide support.
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